Stir crazy. Possibly fried.

And if you can, please help out Merbear.===========================>>>

(*A note – Seasonal Affective Disorder is a serious malady that effects a lot of people. This isn’t intended to mock those that suffer from it, or to make light of a very real condition.)

The snow is still melting, but the real warm hasn’t shown up yet.
It’s grey outside, threats of rain and snow.
We went to Canada last month, and found an indoor Monster Mini Golf (glow in the dark!) this weekend.

Can you believe the dragon was only a par two???

And yet, as this interminable cold and gloom continues with no end in sight (except the ticking of the calendar into a new season), I find myself with the less serious version of Seasonal Affective Disorder: the dreaded Cabin Fever.

Soon…(Or else!)

It gets me towards the end of every winter – the knowledge that spring, sun and warmth are coming coupled with the fact that they aren’t here yet has me gnawing at myself for a way to escape.
So in the interest of preserving whatever sanity we still have, here are some (whatever the opposite is of) Sure Fire tips for beating SAD.
– PILLOW FORTS!
Defend yourself from the invasion of this dreaded condition! Outside light (especially grey) looks much better when diffused through flannel sheets strung a few feet above the floor.
– TELEVISION!
Immerse yourself in stories that take place somewhere else, preferably somewhere warm.
Your insurance may cover a Netflix subscription to stream the Complete Gilligans Island!
– BLOG!!!
Look, you know you’re going to do it anyway. Why not use it to repair your mental condition? (That way you can also get a medical waiver to do it at work!
– HAWAIIAN SHIRTS
Seriously. They exude spring, summer and warm weather climes. Plus, if it’s a good one, you’ll need to wear your beach sunglasses so you don’t blind yourself.
– INDOOR PICNIC!
Who doesn’t love a picnic? Plus, fewer ants!
(If that’s not the case, I don’t want to know.)
(Nor do I want to come over.)
– MAKE A LIST OF ALL THE FOOLISH THINGS YOU’LL DO IN THE SPRING AND SUMMER
My old ones are here and here.
My next one will be up next week.

As always, your timing is impeccable. I worked on my own SAD/storm piece last night…for hours! After getting rid of every bad weather metaphor I could, I finished the second rewrite and am trying to find a good title. Perhaps some time in a pillow fort will inspire me!! I absolutely love your idea of making a list–genius!

The Hawaiian shirts scare me…buttons (gag) and bright colors (ahhh!). I think I have seasonal affective disorder in the opposite way, too much sunshine depresses me. But since I like you – I’ll be happy for you ‘Spring’ time..

The Hawaiian shirts scare me…buttons (gag) and bright colors (ahhh!). I think I have seasonal affective disorder in the opposite way, too much sunshine depresses me. But since I like your – I’ll be happy for you ‘Spring’ time..

When we moved away from Hawaii (after 2-1/2 years) I realized that winter that I was a victim of SAD. However, Vitamin D has gone a long way to alleviate my symptoms. I encourage people to get their Vitamin D levels tested, then supplement (Vitamin D3, actually), then do everything on Guapo’s list! 😀

Spot on, man. That’s what I did– I was *definitely* low and had to take a bolus dosage (50,000 IUs a shot every week) in green softgel pills. They are a little bigger than the softgels used for D3 supplements, so I dubbed them “power pellets” and the supplements “dots”, i.e., Pac-Man references.

I have full-spectrum lighting at my desk and a lightbox (that my father-in-law built me) with 16k lumens aimed at the shower. It’s really helped.

Ironic that it took so long. I manage bipolar symptoms with psych medication, BUT it took many years to get that alone figured out properly before my med nurse asked about D levels and… everything I said earlier came to pass. Before, they’d medicate me in the winter and I’d be slightly manic by summer. By the way– D is not actually a vitamin– it’s a hormone!

I’m not afraid, samara. I can rock a Hawaiian shirt– and– just having asked Cimmy, she is 100% behind me!

Of course, if I could figure out how to make a Kool-Aid Man costume, I’d just make a video of me yelling, “OH YEAH!” (No, seriously, I do an awesome Kool-Aid Man impression, and I need to demonstrate this!)

Dude you cannot complain on a day like today! I ran outside at 6:30 am without a jacket!
Whoa! Wait a minute. Who was that running in Manhattan??? Me!!! Evidently I can! [Feeling like such a bad ass despite my pathetically slow run.]

Guapisimo! I think your remedies will work better than the Happy Lamp I bought! It’s too blinding! Hawaiian shirts and indoor picnics are my faves. Better yet, I could have my indoor picnic while naked. That might work too! 🙂

At the risk of repeating myself, my father-in-law built me a lightbox and we installed it to shine all 16k lumens into our shower/tub combo, so I can have bright light + nakedness without anyone save Cimmy risking an eyeful.

It almost hit 60 yesterday – honest to goodness, people were out in t-shirts and shorts (although it wasn’t THAT warm.) They’re calling for a snow storm tonight, 3 – 5 inches. Can’t even stand it anymore. Gathering pillows for that fort and I’m not coming out until May.

Let’s not put Florida down; we still have the best winters; however, as far as August is concerned, “on the other hand…” says a great deal. It’s not only August, but July, and September and October that are the most humid. But, it’s an acceptable trade-off for the (oh, no, not another snow storm and below freezing) winters of the north.

Love your list. Except Hawaiian shirts. What about Florida shirts? It’s closer and you get to wear your sunglasses every day of the year, too.

My 12-year old daughter and I watch Gilligan’s Island all the time. On the surface, it’s an exercise in father/daughter bonding. Deep down though, it’s a revisit to a young boy’s awakening. Ginger or Mary Ann? Do you like your love in the dark or laid out in the sun?

I went out to check, and my mind was blanked by the throbbing beauty of a beautiful day, my soul leaving my body to soar above the treetops, and return, refreshed, to my body.
Sorry, what was the question again?

Poor you! Our spring has already begun. But thanks to last year I’ve been having nightmares about sudden snowfall as well… Since that’s exactly what we got last year.
Good list though. I would LOVE to make a pillow fort and just sleep, sleep, laugh, sleep.

All of us trapped by winter are feverish. But the sun is shining here today and though snow is forecast for later this week, maybe they’re wrong. Maybe spring is just sitting out there, trying to break through the lingering ice. Mebbe.

Zoe, please. Lamé fabric is easily worse, and was popular about when Hawaiian shirts really got their start. And yet, it has come back. Seriously. Some time last year, I was tempted to tell a young woman shilling for a new Dutch Bros. coffee shop (passing out whipped cream and such), “Honey, lamé pants were bad the FIRST time around!”

But Guap, bell bottoms came back! Granted, clothing manufacturers veered away from flare-from-the-knee (did they ever really do that besides in the movie adaptation of “Hair”?) and the long widths that persisted in the ’70s, but they brought them back as “flare pants”.

Leisure suits… may they forever stay dead. John Travolta’s white one for Saturday Night Fever and Elvis Presley’s Las Vegas jumpsuit favored by Hawaiian impersonators is enough for me.

I love this prescription! I think I would never survive in Seattle because of the gray as you describe… I’m sorry I can’t really relate because our gray days are kind of limited (and therefore cherished, at least by me) but I think i’ll try a few of your remedies to battle Teenager Hormone Blues, which are interrupting our lives with alarming regularity these days…
Hoping a hike and green chile will help!

It’s coming! I’ll have to try pillow forts. A few weeks ago we jacked up the heat and drank fruity drinks and listened to grooves while wearing Hawaiian stuff. It worked for the night…but I’m ready for warmth too.

I lived in NYC for 20 years. For 20 summers I swore I was going to get tickets to see Shakespeare in the Park. Do you know how many times I went? 0. Zip. Zilch, none. But I still make lists, especially about things to do in the warm weather when the kids are off school.

Guap, just do what I did…move South! Although we had a few days of sleet & freezing rain. Not enough to make me go ga-ga (as in crazy, not Lady). We’re now in to our official Spring. 70’s, rain, sun, rain, sun… You get the picture. I’ll do rainy days over snow any time.

Summer is nearing the end here and I’m saying ‘Bring On Winter! Although I’m cheating a bit because I live in the tropics and winter is very pleasant indeed. We’ve got a cyclone below us and one above us at the moment so I’m hoping they’ll scoot off and hit elsewhere 😉 They should be the last ones of the season…

The last time we went to Hawaii, I tried to find a duvet cover made of that crazy shirt material. First, I had to describe what a duvet cover was (maybe not an American thing?) I explained that this would be a wonderful item for people living in dark and gloomy places, but the lady at Hilo Hattie’s wasn’t buying it. Maybe I have really bad taste in interior decorating, but I think Hawaiian shirt bedding would rock in the winter time!

Niiine days, ah! I need it. I like the indoor picnic idea– I did that with the boyfran when we first got together. Might need to break that one out again. Additional bonus if you picnic indoors: You don’t even have to wear pants.

Get a glow stick and tape it to your forehead, it will cheer you up…I hear that this is an actual “thing” in some countries…(I’m not sure, I may be making this up)…I think the deer are getting cabin fever too…I saw them bedded down in the woods after… THE FREAKING SNOWSTORM… blew through…afterward the buck got up off the ground, rousted another one out of bed and then he got them all to play…WHAT IS HE NUTS?? If I actually succeed in getting some video on my blog about this…notice the part where he can’t seem to get out of the woods….DON’T LOSE IT GUAPO…WE ARE ALL CLINGING TO YOUR COUNTDOWN TO SPRING…YOU ARE WHAT IS KEEPING US GOING…YOU ARE OUR FEARLESS LEADER…”I WANT A PONY!”

Absolutely LOVE the poll answers this week, and of course, your wizardry in italics! Burquini…. hilarious. You always have such great music too, stuff that I’ve invariably never heard of that works as a find soundtrack while reading. So ready for the weekend now!

Pillow fortes rock! Somehow, the kids and I always seemed to make them for black outs… even better. Here in the land of easy winters, we just don’t struggle with the whole winter blahs as much. However, my husband has SAD every year… and he’s too tall for pillow fortes. Poor guy. I’ve been working my way through your blogroll, Guapo… you need to do some updating. Calamity is not posting at that site anymore, and Amy as silenced Bumble Files… for Amy Reese Writes. I love following your bread crumbs. 😉 Have a wonderful weekend darlin’!

I would also suggest you get your blood checked for Vitamin D deficiency – I was so low, they could barely measure it & I am currently on a high dose of Vitamin D. I used to sit in the sun for 5 minutes every day when I worked, but it seems I don’t bother now I don’t work, hence the supplements!

PILLOW FORTS! YES!!! Why didn’t I think of that? I’ve been throwing indoor picnics for years and, frankly, needed a little variety. How sad that, even though spring is less than a week away, I’m apparently going to get a chance to test my pillow fort architectural prowess tomorrow. Sigh.